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If they’re going to get better, the Edmonton Oilers know they’re going to have to play bigger.

On Monday the Oilers stood up for themselves for the first time this season in a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

The win was the first against a divisional opponent not based in Calgary.

“We played with purpose,” said Oilers centre Sam Gagner. “When you go back for the puck and you’re able to break it out with a sense of urgency. When the centres are getting back and the wingers are getting the pucks out of the wall, it allows you to play in your D-zone a little less and play with a little more force.

“It’s a tough building to come into in the second game of a back-to-back. But we knew they were playing the second of a back-to-back as well. So we wanted to get on them early and I felt like we had a good first and we just wanted to carry that on. When we’re breaking the puck out as well as we were, it makes it easier to play against those teams and I thought we did a good job of that.”

With the likes of Luke Gazdic, Matt Hendricks, Jesse Joensuu, Boyd Gordon and Ryan Jones, the Oilers had bigger bodies in the lineup capable of pushing back.

Too often this season the Oilers have been bullied by the bigger teams in their division, but on Monday, they stood up for themselves.

And like a typical bully, the Canucks backed off when confronted.

“I think it’s nice to have that push back, where we can cycle in their end and force their defencemen back where they have to play some hard minutes,” Gagner said. “As an opposing D-man, if you’re playing 20-25 minutes and you’re getting pushed around in your own zone, it’s going to be tougher. It’s a nice element for us to have and hopefully we can keep that going.”

Playing Ryan Smyth in the middle of the fourth line has worked out as well for the Oilers.

With two hulking wingers flanking him, Smyth is able to play a grittier game and provides an element of skill at the bottom of the Oilers lineup.

He set up the game winner against the Canucks, feeding Jesse Joensuu in front early in the third period.

“That fourth line has been great,” said Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins. “When they go out there they really give our bench life when they’re playing like that. I think they were a factor in the game not only the way they played and they were able to get a goal, but they took on more minutes and they took some of the minutes away from our guys, which kept us fresher.

“Vancouver played (Sunday) night and I think they used a couple of guys very sparingly and maybe that helped us a little bit, being a little bit more rested and using our fourth line a little bit more.”

Having wallowed at the bottom of the Western Conference standings all year, they Oilers needed something to start going their way.

Beating the Canucks was a start.

“It gives us confidence,” Eakins said. “I think it’s huge with the things that we’re trying to accomplish with these guys off ice, with the way we’ve been practising, the battle level, all those things that you try to institute. And it’s games like this that you can show it’s working. Believe me, we still have a very long way to go, and our players understand that, our staff is comfortable with it, but it’s good to get rewarded like this.”

Going up against the Sharks, the Oilers are in for another tough challenge. In their previous two meetings the Sharks have simply brushed the Oilers aside.

“They’re a good team and they try to dominate physically,” Gagner said. “They like to get pucks to the net. The way to counteract that is get the pucks out of our zone quickly and play in their end. We’re a good team offensively, a good team off the rush and the more we can have those opportunities, the better we’re going to be.”

Edmonton Oilers parlay tougher play into pair of wins

If they’re going to get better, the Edmonton Oilers know they’re going to have to play bigger.

On Monday the Oilers stood up for themselves for the first time this season in a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

The win was the first against a divisional opponent not based in Calgary.

“We played with purpose,” said Oilers centre Sam Gagner. “When you go back for the puck and you’re able to break it out with a sense of urgency. When the centres are getting back and the wingers are getting the pucks out of the wall, it allows you to play in your D-zone a little less and play with a little more force.

“It’s a tough building to come into in the second game of a back-to-back. But we knew they were playing the second of a back-to-back as well. So we wanted to get on them early and I felt like we had a good first and we just wanted to carry that on. When we’re breaking the puck out as well as we were, it makes it easier to play against those teams and I thought we d